Conversation
by Kieno0324
Summary: Luella sits down with a pregnant Mai to tell her a story. Luella allows Mai to get a glimpse of the boys known as the Davis twins as well as the wound she has unknowingly started to heal. Life, Mai decides, is a journey to savor.


I decided to take a little break from my two chapter fics (Ghost Hunt and Ruoruni Kenshin) and write this. Now I recently just found out Noll and Gene have middle initials but no one seems to know what they stand for. This is just my interpretation on that. Also, the meeting described in this story is just one of many ways I thought it could have gone. This was also spawned because Ono-sensei said Mai and Naru were canon. Also please remember this is Fanfiction for a reason!

On that note! Read, Enjoy, and Review!

* * *

Mai Davis, formerly Taniyama, sighed as she sat down heavily on the couch in her in-laws' living room. She was tired from the long trip she and her husband had just made from Japan. It had been at her mother-in-law's request they visit. Mai and Noll were unable to refuse Luella anything which explained why Mai was sitting in a living room in England.

"There you are, Mai. I was wondering where you had gotten to when I saw Martin and Noll talking in the library." Mai looked up as Luella entered with a smile and a trey with tea. Mai returned the smile. She watched Luella sit the trey down before the older woman sat down next to her. Mai reached for one of the teacups before stopping. She looked over at Luella with a sheepish smile.

"I can't have caffeine." she said. Luella blinked before laughing. She reached out and picked the cup Mai had been reaching for. She handed the cup to Mai who now blinked in surprise. The older woman smiled as she picked her own cup up from the trey.

"It's herbal tea. It took me quite a while to find a tea with no caffeine in it. I knew I had to get some for your visit." Luella told her. "I even spent a few days researching it just to be absolutely positive."

"You didn't have to go to all that trouble, Luella! I would have been content with water and milk!" Mai replied. She could feel warmth in her heart at just the thought Luella had looked for a tea she was sure Mai could drink. Mai looked up as she felt her mother-in-law gently touch her knew. The warmth grew stronger at the gentle smile the woman was giving her.

"Of course I did, dear. My priority is to make sure you and the baby are as healthy as possible." Luella told her. Mai blushed as she moved one of her hands from holding the teacup to her stomach. She had just started showing which Noll had pointed out only a few days prior to leaving Japan. Mai winced as she remembered the emotional reaction she had given, accusing him of calling her fat. She had been pleasantly surprised when he had managed to calm her down easily. It had been unexpected for the man who had very little knowledge in the realm of human relationships.

"Mai?" the girl looked up startled as she was pulled from her thoughts. She gave Luella a bright smile to assure the other woman she was okay.

"Sorry, I was just remembering how Naru handled my first emotional breakdown as a pregnant woman. He did surprisingly well for someone who has trouble with human interactions." Mai revealed. Luella giggled as she took a sip of her tea. She set the teacup down before turning her attention fully to Mai. The younger woman had already set her own cup on the coffee table in front of them. Luella was sure Mai hadn't taken a sip of the tea. She supposed she couldn't blame her. Noll had told her Mai had become overly cautious since finding out she was pregnant.

"How surprising! Noll really isn't good with human emotions. I think it's a side effect of his psychometric abilities. The only time I ever saw him react to an accidental psychometric reading was when he found out about Gene's passing. It surprised all of us when he demanded to go to Japan to find him." Luella whispered. Mai studied her face for a moment before covering the other woman's hand still resting on her knee.

"Why do you say that?" Mai whispered gently. She could see the woman was lost in her memories. She didn't want to burst an emotional bubble because if Luella started crying Mai knew she would be as well.

"Even though they were twins it was obvious Noll was still uncomfortable with Gene getting too close. There was no doubt, however, Noll was closer to Gene than anyone else including Martin and myself. I was afraid…so very afraid Noll would never recover from his brother's passing when I saw his reaction." Luella whispered. She looked at Mai to see the girl was smiling softly. Her eyes went wide before she giggled. Mai's eyes snapped up to meet hers as she continued to giggle.

"The look on your face tells me you already know this. I'm surprised…I didn't think Noll would volunteer this information about himself." Luella said. Mai shook her head.

"Oh, he didn't. I had to ask him about the relationship he and Gene had. The only answer he would give me was he wished he had been closer to him. I think it bothers Naru they weren't as close as other twins seem to be. I remember telling him it didn't really matter because Gene understood more than he realized." Mai told her. Luella grinned before she looked up at the ceiling as memories began to take over her.

"I can remember when I first met them. It was so nerve wracking but so exciting at the same time." Luella whispered. Mai couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face at the look on the woman's face. She looked so content as she thought about the first meeting. Mai wondered how she had first met Gene and Noll _before_ they were known as Gene and Noll.

"Can you tell me what it was like?" Mai inquired. Luella turned her attention back to her before a bright smile spread across her face. Mai realized she had done the right thing by asking Luella to tell her to story. Mai could only hope it would bring her happy memories not dredge up memories Mai would rather stay buried. She had the feeling no matter how happy the story would be she was going to end up in tears.

"Well…"

* * *

_Martin and Luella stood in the room the director of the orphanage had told them was where the children spent their free time. The room was currently alive with the children's laughter as they played. Luella couldn't help but be entranced as she watched the children play around and draw. She wished she was able to take all of them home. One look at her husband, however, told her if she mentioned the idea he would be more than willing to follow through._

_ "You can talk to them, if you wish. Many of them are quite friendly." the director said from where she was standing behind them. Luella furrowed her brows before looking over her shoulder at the woman._

_ "Many?" she questioned. The woman sighed before shaking her head as a sad smile spread across her face._

_ "They're all sweet but some of them are painfully shy. Breaking through the shells of some them can be hard but once you've managed to…well, I hope you cleared your schedule for the day." the woman said. Luella giggled before turning her attention back to the children as they played._

_ "Why won't you come play with us?!" Luella's attention was caught by the yelling of a little girl. Her eyes went wide as she saw two little boys, identical twins her mind told her, sitting at a piano. One had a book in his hands, Luella felt as though she should recognize it, while the other had his hands on the keys._

_ "My brother doesn't want to right now. You know I won't leave him alone, Mary. I'll try to convince him to play after lunch." the one with his hands on the piano said. Luella was instantly caught by the smile he had on his face. She watched as the girl, Mary, huffed before finally nodding in agreement._

_ "Martin." she whispered. Her husband looked at her questioningly. She motioned to the twins and watched as he looked at them. His eyes widened slightly before finally nodding in agreement. They slowly made their way towards the twins while ignoring the shock look the director was sending them. The woman had forgotten to tell them about the twins who refused to be separated._

_ "Hello, there. Do you mind if we join you?" Luella asked as she knelt down beside the end of the bench where the twin that had spoken earlier sat. She watched as he looked at her through his lashes before back at the piano. She watched with an amused smile as he did this at least three more times before a blush began to spread up his neck and into his cheeks. She could tell he was shy and obviously embarrassed at being so close to someone he didn't know._

_ "My name is Luella and this is my husband, Martin Davis. What are your names?" Luella inquired gently. She watched as the other boy's hand trembled slightly against the cover of his book. She realized it was possible each time someone approached them they were only interested in one of the twins._

_ "We don't have names, really. I go by A.J. and my brother goes by E.C. so we can be called on during class." the one without the book finally answered. Luella smiled brightly before Martin cleared his throat. She watched with her smile growing as he knelt by the other twin who had been reading._

_ "That's quite a book to be reading at such a young age." he said. Luella watched as the other twin finally looked away from the book to turn his attention on Martin. Luella was surprised at how expressionless his face was. He certainly seemed to be different from the twin sitting next to him._

_ "It's interesting." was the soft reply. Luella looked at the boy dubbed A.J. and saw his eyes were wide. Luella realized it must be unusual for his twin to respond so easily to a total stranger._

_ "How so?" Martin asked gently. Luella glanced him and saw he realized he needed to tread carefully with the boy._

_ "The author makes some good points but he doesn't seem to take in account the power of the human mind. In other books I've read in other books that humans can be blamed for much of poltergeist activity." the boy answered. Luella blinked before taking a closer look at the book he held. Her eyes went wide as she finally recognized the book._

_ "Well, I felt as though many other psychic researchers had wrote about that particular topic it was time something different was on the market. I wanted to let others in this field know while it was possible for humans to be at fault it was also possible for something supernatural to be the cause. Unfortunately, not everything can be scientifically proved…at least not by the scientific standards that exist today." Martin told the young boy. Luella had to keep from dropping her head. She could just see in her mind's eye he was going to run them off if he kept talking like that._

_ "Then scientific standards need to be changed so the unexplained can be explained. If the unexplained remain that way people will always be scared. Take my brother, for instance, sometimes he will just start speaking in German or French, neither of which he studies. The only explanation left, and there is an explanation, my brother channels spirits." the other boy said. Luella felt her mouth open slightly in surprise. She had been surprised at the response this boy had not only understood what Martin said but also come back with a response to match._

_ "Oh, no. Leave me out of this." the other boy murmured. Luella glanced at him only to smile softly as he was stubbornly staring at the piano keys with a blush spreading across his face once again._

_ "It's true, though. Besides, this man is used to it if he really wrote this book." the other replied without even looking at his brother._

_ "Ah, so you knew it was me. I'm surprised you didn't say anything." Martin said causing the boy to look up at him again._

_ "There's no point in being overly excited over meeting someone you respect. You'll only make yourself look like a fool." the boy replied. Luella had to bite the inside of her cheek hard to keep from laughing at the look on Martin's face. He was obviously shocked by the boy but he could also tell he was intrigued. This was the first time she had seen him being natural with a child._

_ "Don't be rude." the other little boy murmured. Luella cleared her throat and he looked at her with nervousness in his eyes. She gave him a gentle smile in hope to calm his nerves. She hid the amazement she felt as she realized she already cared about these two boys. Including the one who was currently sparring with her husband verbally._

_ "It's okay. Martin seems to be enjoying talking with him." Luella assured him. The boy looked at her with disbelieving blue eyes._

_ "Talking? You call that talking? Can't you tell they're insulting each other? I guess it is subtle but still! If he keeps being that rude we won't be able to stay together!" the boy cried. Luella could see how fearful this boy was at leaving his brother behind._

_ "You love him, don't you?" she asked gently. He looked at her stunned before shyly nodding. There was no reason to deny it._

_ "He's my twin. All we have is each other… I don't want to leave him behind." he confessed softly. Luella desperately wanted to put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder but stopped herself. She didn't know how comfortable he would feel considering he was so shy._

_ "I have a question for the both of you." Martin suddenly interrupted. Luella watched as both the boys turned to him. He smiled at them gently. Luella's breath caught at the sight. She had never seen that expression his face before. "What do the two of you think about England?"_

_ "It has good schools." the twin with the book answered._

_ "I think it has pretty gardens." the other twin answered._

_ "Schools."_

_ "Gardens."_

_ Luella and Martin watched as the twins glared at each other. She looked at her husband to see he had an amused smile on his face as he watched. He turned to meet her eyes and she nodded. She knew she wouldn't be able to walk away from these two. They hadn't even tried but they were already part of her heart._

_ "I guess the next two questions are equally as important. One, how do you feel about living in England? Two, how do you feel about us adopting you?" Martin asked. Luella watched as they both looked at them shocked. She was glad to see emotion had finally appeared on the other twin's face._

_ "I have no problem. They have good schools." the one dubbed E.C. answered. She bit back a smile as it was clearly obvious this boy treasure education. She knew she shouldn't be surprised._

_ "As long as we go sightseeing, I suppose I'm okay with it. Wait, you do want to adopt both of us, right?" the other one asked. Luella smiled before nodding. She watched as the smile from before made an appearance. Luella's breath was once again taken away by the intensity of the smile._

_ "Of course. We can't separate you." she replied. She watched as the twins shared a look once again. Her eyes went wide as they began to converse in a language she found she couldn't understand. She glanced at Martin to see he also looked startled. As she listened to them talk she realized it was Japanese. She had heard Madoka use the language to speak to her mother over the phone. She made a note in the back of her mind to ask the young office assistant to teach her the language._

_ "Okay, there's one more thing you need to know. I'm the older one!" the one with the smile declared. Luella looked at the scowl on the other boy's face before laughing._

_ "You just had to say it." he mumbled. The older twin laughed as he threw an arm around his brother's shoulders._

_ "Cheer up! We're finally going to have actual names!" he declared. Luella grinned as she could see their moods had lightened as Martin motioned the director over. She ignored the stunned look on the woman's face as her husband explained they wanted to start the adoption process._

_ "What do you think of Eugene and Oliver?" she asked. They looked at her before both smiled. Luella was pleasantly surprised to see the younger twin, the one who would be known as Oliver, had the same smile as his brother._

* * *

"That's amazing." Mai whispered as Luella finished. She reached over and grabbed one of the napkins on the trey. She handed it to Luella who only realized once she took the napkin there were tears in her eyes. Mai could also tell her cheeks were wet from tears that had managed to escape.

"They came home with us the next week. They were already calling each other Gene and Noll by the time we boarded the plane." Luella said with laughter in her voice. Mai giggled as she also dabbed her eyes. She loved hearing stories about Noll ad Gene even if it was heartbreaking because Gene was no longer with them.

"The middle initials make sense now. Naru always says he can't tell me what they mean when I ask." Mai mumbled. She looked at Luella as the woman laughed.

"Yes, we asked them if they wanted to keep those initials. Gene said they were part of who they were and it would be sad to throw that away. Noll was a little irritated as we didn't give them names to represent the initials. Of the two, Noll has always been slightly more controlling." Luella told her. Mai raised an eyebrow as she blinked at him. She could only focus on one word of what Luella had just said.

"_Slightly_? He's only _slightly_ more controlling? He wanted me on bed rest the moment we found out about the pregnancy. I also think if I tell him I don't want to know the gender of the baby, which I don't it should be a surprise, he'll lose his mind." Mai said. Luella laughed before patting Mai on the shoulder.

"Oh, please do! After some of the things he's put his father, brother, and myself through he deserves it." Luella told her. Mai grinned at her before nodding in agreement. She felt, deep in her heart, that Noll undoubtedly knew how much his family loved him. He just wasn't used to emotions so he had no idea how to let them know.

"Naru will understand, I'm sure. He might complain about having no control but he'll understand why I don't want to find out the gender." Mai said. Luella nodded in agreement before letting out a soft sigh.

"I have to ask. Have the two of you talked about baby names, yet? I can't imagine you waiting to discuss that!" Luella said. Mai giggled as she once again moved her hand to her stomach. She could almost imagine she could feel the spirit of the baby inside her. The though she was carrying a baby, Noll's baby, made her smile brightly.

"We have. We decided if it's a boy…we, well I, want to name him Oliver Eugene. Naru is hesitant about it." Mai whispered. She glance as Luella when she felt the woman gently touch her shoulder.

"I think it's a wonderful name. I think Noll is just hesitant because he's scared. He doesn't want you to feel pressured to name the baby after Gene." Luella whispered. Mai shook her head with tears in her eyes.

"I don't. I want to name the baby after Gene because I feel as though it will be a start to tell our child about his Uncle." Mai whispered. Luella nodded in understanding with a soft smile on her face. She understood why Mai wanted to name the baby, if it was a boy, after her oldest son.

"Naru is still healing, he will always be healing from his brother's passing. This is just another step he has to take. Don't overthink it, okay?" Luella whispered. Mai nodded but before she could answer the door to the living room opened once again.

"There you are. I've been looking for you, Mai. I should've know you were speaking with mother." Mai grinned at Noll as he stepped through the doorway. He was dressed, once again, in all black but he had told Mai it was only because the clothes were comfortable. Mai didn't mention the fact they were going to be visiting Gene's grave before they went to his parents' house. She knew her husband well enough to read him and also knew when not to comment on his actions.

"You and your father were so engrossed in conversation I thought I'd keep her some company. Really, Noll, you should pay more attention to your wife. Don't forget you have to sleep in the same bed as her." Luella told him with a gentle smile. Mai bit back an amused smile at the gentle scolding she heard in the woman's voice.

"I thought perhaps she would want to turn in early because of the long flight." he said in response to his mother's scolding. Mai sighed before sending him a bright smile.

"It's alright, Naru, she was just telling me stories about you and Gene. We also talked about the baby." she was surprised at the way Noll's eyes widened slightly.

"Mother!" he cried suddenly. Mai blinked in confusion as she wondered what seemed to have caught him so off guard. She had only seen him like this a few times and it was usually during a terrifying case.

"It was nothing bad, Noll, I promise. Why don't the two of you go get some sleep? We can catch up more in the morning." Luella said. Mai stood up and bowed slightly to the woman. She followed her husband out of the room and up the stairs to the room they would be staying in.

She paused outside one of the doors with a daze look on her face. She wasn't sure what had come over her but she was sure the room the door was hiding had been Gene's. It was the first time she had been staying the house, instead of visiting, so it was also the first time she'd been upstairs. She let a sad smile spread across her face before looking at Noll as he took her hand. He also had a sad smile.

"It was Gene's room. We can go in if you wish." he whispered. Mai shook her head when she saw the pain cross his eyes. He wasn't ready to take that step yet.

"We can later. I don't think I'm ready yet." she whispered. He nodded before leading her to the room he had lived in when he was younger. The room they would be staying in for the duration of their visit. Mai knew it was going to be an emotional visit but she was going to be there for her husband so he would know he had a family who loved and supported him no matter what. Even if one of them hadn't made an appearance yet.

"_Hey, Noll?"_

_ "Yes?"_

_ "Who do you think will have children first?"_

_ "I don't know, Gene."_

_ "That's not the answer I wanted."_

_ "Well, you're always calling me a stick-in-the-mud idiot scientist. Do you really think I'm going to have children first?"_

_ "Hmm. That's true but…for some reason…I feel as though you'll be a dad before me."_

**_"Hey, Noll? I was right."_**

* * *

Please, please, please review! I really want to know what you all think and unfortunately I can't read minds! Please let me know!**_  
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